Refurbished Server Warranty
When you buy used or refurbished enterprise hardware, the warranty is usually the largest difference between two otherwise identical quotes. This page explains what a refurbished hardware warranty actually needs to cover, the questions worth asking any seller before you commit, and exactly what is included with equipment bought from TekBoost.
Why the warranty is the real variable
Refurbished servers and workstations are, by definition, hardware that has already run somewhere else. Two sellers can list the same Dell PowerEdge R740 or HP Z8 G4 configuration at similar prices and offer very different protection behind it. The specification tells you what the machine can do; the warranty tells you what happens when a DIMM, a controller or a power supply fails eighteen months in.
That matters more on used equipment than on new, because the original manufacturer warranty on a decommissioned system has usually expired, and because the party standing behind the hardware is the reseller rather than Dell or HP. The practical question is not "is there a warranty" but "how long, who honours it, how fast does a replacement part arrive, and what is excluded".
Eight questions worth asking any seller
1. How long, and does it start at delivery?
Ask for the term in writing and when the clock starts. A term quoted in months rather than years is worth converting before you compare quotes.
2. Parts only, or parts and labour?
Many refurbished warranties cover the replacement component but leave the diagnosis and installation with you. Decide whether your team can do the swap.
3. How fast does a replacement part ship?
Ground shipping and next-business-day shipping produce very different outages. Ask which applies, and whether it changes by destination country.
4. Who honours it — the seller or the manufacturer?
On refurbished equipment it is almost always the seller. That makes the seller’s trading history and support availability part of the warranty.
5. Is on-site service offered, or is it ship-back?
On-site engineer attendance is rare on refurbished hardware. If your deployment assumes it, confirm it explicitly rather than inferring it.
6. Who pays return shipping on a claim?
A return label included with the claim and a return label you buy yourself are materially different once you factor in a heavy 2U chassis.
7. What is excluded?
Consumables, accidental damage, third-party modification and software are commonly excluded. Read the exclusions before the headline term.
8. Is shipping damage covered?
Transit damage on a rack server is a real risk. Confirm whether damage discovered on delivery is handled under the warranty or as a carrier claim.
What is included with hardware bought from TekBoost
The table below restates the published terms on our warranty page, which governs in full. It is reproduced here so it can be compared against the eight questions above.
| Standard term | 3 years on servers, workstations and parts for those systems sold on TekBoost.com, and on networking equipment bought on TekBoost.com or through a TekBoost quote |
|---|---|
| Optional term | 5 years, available by quote |
| Marketplace orders | 90 days on orders placed outside TekBoost.com through Newegg, Amazon, Walmart, Google or Facebook |
| Part replacement speed | Next Business Day on the 3-year and 5-year terms; Ground on the 90-day marketplace term. Next Business Day shipping applies to shipments within the United States; shipments to Canada are standard shipping |
| Shipping damage | Covered on every term |
| Return labels for claims | Included on every term |
| Phone support | 8am–5pm on every term |
| Online support | 24 hours on every term |
| On-site service | Not available on any term |
Register the warranty or start a claim from the warranty page. Exclusions and conditions are set out there and apply in full.
Manufacturer warranty is a separate thing
A TekBoost warranty is our own cover, not a transfer or extension of a Dell or HP factory warranty. Manufacturer warranty, software licensing and manufacturer support entitlements are separate from it and are not included. If your deployment needs any of them — an active ProSupport contract, an operating-system licence, firmware entitlements tied to a support agreement — say so when you request a quote and we will confirm what is available for the specific units concerned rather than assume it carries over.
Common questions
Does the same cover apply if I buy by quote rather than online?
Yes for networking equipment, which is sold by quote today and carries the same standard 3-year term. For servers and workstations the published terms cover systems and parts sold on TekBoost.com; confirm the term stated on your quote before ordering.
Is a longer warranty always the better buy?
Not automatically. A long term with a slow replacement path can be worth less to you than a shorter term with next-business-day parts, depending on whether the system is in production and whether you hold spares. Compare term, replacement speed and exclusions together.
Do you offer on-site engineer attendance?
No. Our warranty is a parts-replacement warranty with next-business-day part shipping on the 3-year and 5-year terms. On-site service is not available on any term.
What is covered on networking equipment?
Networking equipment bought through a TekBoost quote carries the same standard 3-year warranty, subject to the same terms and exclusions. See the networking hub for how quoting works.
Next steps
Compare the full terms, then browse the ranges the cover applies to.